Rates of youth social action are lower amongst more deprived people

Research by Ipsos Mori was launched on the second anniversary of Step Up to Serve in November and found that rates of participation are higher amongst young people from more affluent communities (49% participating in the most affluent compared to 38% in the least).

The Big Lottery Fund has made £9.5m of grants in my constituency since 2010

Trust in charities is higher amongst younger people

My colleague Joy Dobbs published a review of literature on trust in charities in March which found no change in the public’s overall level of trust and confidence. It also found higher levels of trust in people aged 18-34 than compared to other age groups, and amongst people who work in the charity sector, have family or friends who do, or who have used or benefitted from charity services.

Charity closures are still quite a rare thing

While we shouldn’t get complacent in these challenging economic times, analysis by my colleague David Kane found that there has been no large rise in closures in 2014 and 2015.

Rates of volunteering continue to be stable

These are just a few of the many bits of research I’ve liked over the past year, and I’m looking forward to much more in 2016. I’d love to hear your favourites – or where you feel there are gaps – so feel free to add any to the comments below.